Breaking Murphy's Law: How Optimists Get What They Want from Life - and Pessimists Can Too

by Suzanne C. Segerstrom

Pollyannas take heart, pessimists take note: Recent studies on achievement and well-being show that optimistic behavior contributes to better physical health, greater resilience in the face of life’s twists and turns, and more satisfying relationships. As psychologists Suzanne Segerstrom reveals, optimists lay groundwork for the success they envision. While the rest of us worry whether our goals are attainable, those who practice optimism try to achieve theirs. Breaking Murphy’s Law shows you simple ways to develop the skills that natural-born optimists use to get what they want from life. Dr. Segerstrom helps you break free from the inertia of cynicism and self-doubt and encourages you to engage the world around you. “Doing optimism”--by getting involved, working hard, and enjoying your achievements--establishes a positive feedback loop that’s both personally transformative and self-perpetuating. This practical book imparts the lesson with a mix of humor and intelligence that will convince even the most hardened cynics that Murphy got it wrong.

Genres: Psychology, Self Help

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think this book is misnamed. I read an article on this book in a magazine, and as a known pessimist who battles against my pessimistic nature I thought I would check it out, since optimists live longer and who wouldn't want to live longer and have a sunny disposition?
23 pages into the book I discovered that apparently my pessimistic/neurotic (and who wouldn't want to be called neurotic?) "unhappy personality" is biological and inherited. Really? How is that helpful? Ok, that may be the case and I may be no more able to change my 48% inherited "unhappy personality" that I am to become Malaysian, but why then is the book called "Breaking Murphy's Law: How Optimists Get What They Want from Life - and Pessimists Can Too"?
So, I read on where I discover that apparently pessimists are a bunch of losers in that they're less likely to be "conscientious" or "goal-directed". So the "happy personality" or optimistic/extroverted are also blessed with conscientiousness and drive. She says these two things are not necessarily related, but that there is a strong correlation between the two.
So, what I hear is that my "unhappy, careless, distractible, lazy, impatient, neurotic" self can confine myself to an early grave. And the question you have to ask yourself is, who is she writing this book for? Obviously these fun, fabulous extroverted optimists don't need to pick up this book, since they were blessed by the genetic lottery. Nope, it is those of us who want to improve our outlook who pick up this book only to be called names - in the name of science of course.
It's amazing I even have the stamina to finish this review since no good could come of it.
Well, I continued looking through the book for the glimmer of hope offered in the title and you know what - she didn't have anything to say that I don't already do. Or frankly anything you don't get out of an issue of Oprah - set tangible goals, work toward them, do things that make you feel good instead of wasting your time on tv. Yeah, like every optimist in the world has trashed their television.
I've been setting goals and working toward them for years, and yet I haven't transformed from pessimist-rella into the beautiful optimist-princess.
If you come across this book. Don't bother.

[Ryan Barretto · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting read. The author takes you through her studies and research of optimism, how it affects well-being, health, immunity and what one can do to become more optimistic.

I particularly liked the section on goals (the key to being an optimist is having goals). There were parts where I got lost in some of the detail and academic language, which is why I took this long to finish the book.

I would say that if you want a better grasp of these ideas of optimism, you should also read The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton, Mindset by Carol Dweck and Changing Minds by Howard Gardner.

[Shmuli · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is not very practical and the writing style is often long-winded and difficult to distill.
If you are after something more practical, I would recommend Martin Seligman's book Learned Optimism, though somewhat outdated.

[Prasanna Karthik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading. Reasoning for cognitive behaviours backed with a lot of data. Good introduction to building resources - basic, acceptance, status in the initial chapters.

Skip to "doing optimism" for quick perspective overview on spending time and energy building resources.

[Sandra Bloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

optimisme is het belangrijkste ingrediënt voor een gelukkig leven... In dit boek leer je optimistischer opstellen

[Alexandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read a few pages here and there and decided not to read any further. A few interesting tidbits but there are so many good books out there this kind of topic that it's not worth your time. I feel like this the book also tends to go against a lot of the Buddhist/Eastern mentalities on mindfulness, which I'm a big believer in, and tends to espouse the Western mentality of using one's drive and motivation merely as the route to happiness.

[Jimmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good concept but dry and repetitive as hell. Not worth the time.

[Donald Steiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a new way of looking at optimism and pessimism and provides an explanation of why optimists are more successful in life. I highly recommend it.